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The Greatest Living British Playwright - Part IIDateline: 15th June, 2003In our Forum discussion about who is the greatest living British playwright, Simon Fisher writes
Now that raises a very important point. Is the greatest playwright the one who writes the greatest plays or the one who has the greatest influence? And if it's the latter, over what sort of period of time? Obviously it shouldn't be the short term - creating a bandwagon doesn't equate with greatness - but two? five? ten? longer? But, of course, in terms of greatness, ten years is no time at all. Shakespeare, after all, has kept us excited for over 400 years. Should we try to estimate how long a playwright's influence will last? But we could be hugely wrong. Howard Barker might have no inluence in his lifetime but a considerable amount in a hundred years. We just don't know. Should popularity come into it? If so, Ayckbourn and Godber must be in the running. And if they are so popular with audiences - in a way which Barker or Churchill could never be - why should we reject them from the pantheon? Greatness surely includes expanding the envelope, pushing the boundaries of theatre beyond what is accepted by contemporary practice. Shouldn't those who create highly influential physical theatre be included? After all, we are talking about playwrights - creators of plays - not play writers. Or should text be essential? It's a fascinating subject, and much more complex than it first appears. Do keep your contributions coming! You'll find the Forum at http://disc.server.com/Indices/187766.html Articles Indices:
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